1955: Alaskan citizens elect 55 Delegates from all over Alaska to write a constitution that will protect all future Alaskans from government tyranny.
1955-1956: Constitutional Convention Delegates carefully write Alaska’s Constitution. Other than the last-resort right to bear arms, the only take-action right the delegates give us to physically confront and stop government corruption is our citizen grand juries: Article 1, Section 8 “The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.”
Without a single Delegate in opposition, they agreed that grand juries have the power to investigate and address corruption in government, free from any interference: “The power of grand juries to inquire into the willful misconduct in office of public officers, and to find indictments in connection therewith, shall never be suspended.” Alaska Constitutional Convention Proposal No. 7, December 15, 1955.
Without a single Delegate in opposition, they agreed that the most important duty of our grand juries is to investigate our public officials: “The grand jury is preserved, for all purposes, particularly for investigation of public officials.” Alaska Constitutional Convention Commentary on the Preamble and the Declaration of Rights, December15, 1955.
Without a single Delegate in opposition, they discussed that one of the most “invaluable” rights an individual Alaskan citizen has is the right to appeal to our grand juries “directly”: “The grand jury can be appealed to directly, which is an invaluable right to the citizen.” Alaska Constitutional Convention transcript page 1328.
Without a single Delegate in opposition, they discussed how it is “utterly vital” that individual court cases can be appealed to our grand juries: “I recall personally a situation eight or nine years ago that brought it to my attention forcefully how the grand jury can be utterly vital. The grand jury in its investigative power as well as for the fact that it is sitting there as a panel sometimes is the only recourse for a citizen to get justice, to get redress from abuse in lower courts…it is the only safeguard a citizen occasionally has when for any reason and very often for political reasons, a case is not dealt with properly.” Delegate Yule Kilcher of Homer at Constitutional Convention transcript page 1328.)
1959: Alaska becomes a state and Alaska’s newly formed Supreme Court writes and distributes first “Alaska Grand Jury Handbook”. The handbook first states: “IMPORTANCE OF THEGRAND JURY. In time of peace no citizen can perform a higher duty than that of Grand Jury service. No body of citizens exercises public functions more vital to the administration of law and order. Thus the citizens themselves, by this representative body of Grand Jurors, hold in their own hand the control of the maintenance of law and order throughout the state, through prosecution for crime. The importance of this power cannot be overestimated.”
The handbook then specifically highlights the right of citizens to appeal directly to the grand jury: “A citizen is at liberty to apply to the Grand Jury for permission to appear before it in order to suggest or urge that a certain situation should be investigated by it. Charges of crime may be brought to your attention in several ways: (4) by private citizens heard by the Grand Jury in formal session, with the Grand Jury’s consent.”
This original handbook also specifically highlights how the grand jury has the “important duty of making investigations on its own initiative” to “investigate how officials are conducting their public trust.”
1962?: Alaska’s newly formed legislature implements statutes reinforcing grand jury rights: AS12.40.030 Duty of inquiry into crimes and general powers. The grand jury shall inquire into all crimes committed or triable within the jurisdiction of the court and present them to the court. The grand jury shall have the power to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety. AS12.40.040 Juror to disclose knowledge of crime. If an individual grand juror knows or has reason to believe that a crime has been committed that is triable by the court, the juror shall disclose it to the other jurors, who shall investigate it.
1959-1985:Grand Jury investigations and recommendations are common. Topics include corruption by judges, district attorneys, and law enforcement officials.
1985: Grand jury investigates Alaska Governor Bill Sheffield for steering a $10,000,000 lease to a campaign contributor. Grand jury recommends Alaska’s legislature impeach Governor Sheffield.
1989:As a result of the grand jury recommendation Governor Sheffield be impeached, the Alaska Supreme Court issues Criminal Rule 6.1, suspending grand jury rights to investigate and make recommendations. Two of the five justices, Burke and Compton, declare Rule 6.1 is unconstitutional because it violates the plain wording of Article 1, Section 8 of Alaska’s Constitution, which states: “The power of grand juries to investigate and make recommendations concerning the public welfare or safety shall never be suspended.”
1991: In “O’Leary v. Superior Court” the Alaska Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality Rule 6.1 – with two of the five justices (again Burke and Compton) claiming it was clearly unconstitutional and in fact “mocks” Alaska’s Constitution: “This procedural rule is not the least bit deferential to the “anti-suspension” clause. Indeed, it mocks it. The grand jury, and not the courts, can choose matters on which it reports and recommends, and the manner in which to do so. Its constitutional power shall never be suspended by the overlay of cumbersome procedures which provide for private judicial adjudications and review of whether the report it is to publish adversely reflects on someone, or otherwise violates his or her constitutional rights.”
(“O’Leary” was the case of an Anchorage teacher who was having sex with his underage students, and this was covered up by public officials. An Anchorage grand jury investigated and wrote a report with recommendations exposing everything. Alaska’s courts then used Rule 6.1 to keep the grand jury report and recommendations under wraps – effectively “suspending” them. Eventually the Anchorage Police Chief, the Anchorage Daily News, the Anchorage Times, the State of Alaska, and the grand jury itself sued – claiming Rule 6.1 was unconstitutional because it gave courts and judges the ability to suspend and suppress grand jury investigations and recommendations. In the end, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of Rule 6.1 and eliminated – from the grand jury investigation, report and recommendations – many of the names of those who were involved in the cover-up, along with the evidence against them. Supreme Court’s reason? Publishing names and evidence would unconstitutionally harm reputations.)
1991-present: Grand jury investigations and recommendations virtually stop. Some investigations/
2004: Evidence surfaces indicating systemic corruption within Alaska’s judicial system.
2006: After a meeting set up and attended by Congressman Don Young’s assistant Greg Kaplan (with help from Senator Ted Stevens office), FBI Section Chief Colton Seale confirms judicial corruption in Alaska and claims that the FBI is being kept from prosecuting it.
2010: Direct evidence surfaces that Alaska’s sole judge investigator since 1989 (Marla Greenstein) is falsifying official investigations to keep corrupt judges on the bench and ruling over Alaska’s citizens.
2011-2012: Evidence surfaces indicating the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct; Court System; Bar Association; Department of Law; and Ombudsman are covering up for judge investigator Greenstein.
2017: Alaskan citizens realize grand juries have the power to investigate and address systemic government corruption which the government may not want investigated and addressed.
2017: Alaskan citizens realize the Alaska Supreme Court has rewritten the Alaska Grand Jury Handbook to eliminate all reference that citizens have a right to appeal to the grand jury directly and to eliminate references that grand juries can decide, on their own, what to investigate.
2018: Government officials refuse to allow citizens to appeal to the grand jury directly.
2018-2019: Numerous government officials – including Governor, Attorney General, judges, and DA’s – refuse to give petition (signed by about 500 Alaskan citizens and calling for a grand jury investigation into evidence of systemic judicial corruption)to the grand jury.
2019-2021: Judges and district attorneys, along with Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore, outright order 6 different grand juries to stop investigating evidence of judicial corruption when, on their own initiative, grand juries start to investigate this evidence.
January 2022: Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly, by unanimous vote, passes a resolution supporting Alaska grand jury right to investigate without interference by government officials – and supporting the right of citizens to have their concerns heard by the grand jury directly. The Kenai City Council, Homer City Council, and Funny River Community Association Board later pass similar resolutions.
March 2022: Citizens start protesting in front of Kenai Courthouse – claiming grand juries were being unconstitutionally stopped from investigating evidence of judicial corruption and that citizens were being unconstitutionally stopped from appealing such evidence directly to grand juries.
April 2022: Kenai protests gain strength and spread to Palmer, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Haines.
June 29, 2022: Superior Court Judge Jennifer Wells stops and permanently disbands another Kenai grand jury after it decides, by majority vote, to investigate evidence of systemic judicial corruption and cover up.
June 30, 2022: Protesters organize a state-wide courthouse sit-in – to be continued non-stop unit the Kenai grand jury is reconstituted and finishes their investigation into evidence of judicial corruption.
July 4, 2022: Felony complaints of Interference With Official Proceedings (see AS 11.56.510)and Jury Tampering (see AS 11.56.590) are filed against Judge Wells, along with Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct complaint. Protesters also start organizing a citizen arrest (see AS 12.25.010; 12.25.030; and 12.25.070) of Judge Wells and Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore for felony jury tampering. Judge Wells announces her retirement.
July 26, 2022: A new (not the one dismissed by Judge Wells) Kenai grand jury is formed to investigate evidence of systemic judicial corruption in Alaska.
August 2, 2022: Kenai grand jury is advised they have a right to independent counsel instead of the State of Alaska attorney advising them (Jenna Gruenstein). Kenai grand jury fires Ms. Gruenstein and is provided private attorney Clinton Campion, even though Mr. Campion formerly worked for the State of Alaska and at that time investigated criminal complaints against judge investigator Greenstein – and claimed there was no evidence she was corrupt.
December 1, 2022: Immediately after the grand jury subpoenas judges and 34-year sole judge investigator Marla Greenstein, the Alaska Supreme Court issues Supreme Court Order (SCO) 1993, stripping grand juries of constitutional powers to investigate, make recommendations, or indict government officials such as judges and judge investigator Greenstein. (See SCO 1993 at alaskastateofcorruption.com)
December 15, 2022: Citizens uncover an internal Alaska Supreme Court “Memorandum” – which indicates the Supreme Court bypassed the established and required oversight of their own 13-member Rules Committee to – apparently so their unconstitutional suspension of grand jury rights could not be stopped.
Even more disturbing, when members of the Rules Committee found out about and protested the Supreme Court’s bypassing of the Rules Committee(expressing concerns “that the rule changes were important and serious changes of a constitutional nature and should not be rushed through”)and asked there be a Rules Committee hearing, the Supreme Court still went forward to pass the Rule change without a Rules Committee hearing or oversight. (See SCO 1993 History at alaskastateofcorruption.com)
November 16, 2022: Citizens start signing a petition calling upon Alaska’s legislature to impeach all five justices who passed SCO 1993 – without established and required Rules Committee oversight – to unconstitutionally stop the Kenai grand jury from investigating, and making recommendations concerning, Alaska’s judicial corruption.
February 6, 2023: Alaska Supreme Court rescinds the part of SCO 1993 (see SCO 2000) which prohibits grand juries from indicting – but leaves in the parts barring citizens from appealing directly to the grand jury and leaves in the part giving government officials the power to dictate to the grand jury who they can subpoena, what they can investigate, and what they can say in recommendations.
April 2023: Kenai grand jury indicts Judge Margaret Murphy on felony perjury charges. There is direct evidence that judge investigator Greenstein covered up for Judge Murphy over a decade ago. (See evidence at alaskastateofcorruption.com)
January 8, 2024, at 10 am: Next hearing (Homer Courthouse) in Judge Murphy’s prosecution for felony perjury. EVERYONE PLEASE ATTEND IF POSSIBLE!
To Sum It Up!
Are we simply going to let the Alaska Supreme Court take away our right to appeal to the grand jury directly? Which Alaska’s Founding fathers called “an invaluable right to the citizen” – and gave to us with such care nearly 70 years ago?
I think not.
Are we going to simply let the Alaska Supreme Court takeaway our right to appeal individual court cases to the grand jury, when Alaska’s Founding Fathers specifically stated this was our right?
I think not.
Are we going to let the Alaska Supreme Court suspend our grand juries’ right to investigate and inform citizens with recommendations– by letting courts and government attorneys dictate who grand juries can subpoena, what grand juries can investigate, how grand juries can investigate, and what grand juries can say in a recommendation – when these rights were carefully given to citizen grand juries by Alaska’s Founding Fathers nearly 70years ago?
I think not.
What Are We Going To Do?
1. Join Alaska Grand Jurors Association – it’s free! Just send us your name and email address. Help us make it into a non-profit so we can better obtain donations and grants. If you have skills with websites or social media, please help us out. Attend all hearings, events, and protests if you can.
2. Ask your legislators to start a public (live TV cameras, radio coverage, etc, etc) investigation into this situation – where witnesses such as 33-year sole judge investigator Marla Greenstein are subpoenaed and questioned under oath while the public watches, so the truth can no longer be hidden behind closed doors or with gag orders such as the Supreme Court is now attempting with our grand juries. Where witnesses who exercise their right against self-incrimination can be given immunity so they can expose the true villains. If corruption is found, ask your legislators to make sure it never happens again by putting into law and clarifying all the specific rights Alaska’s Founding Fathers said we have.
3. Educate yourself and talk to your neighbors, family, and friends.
4. In the bitter end, if nothing else is effective, consider joining a peaceful state-wide courthouse sit-in, until Alaska’s Supreme Court, Legislature, and Governor agree We-The-People have the right to appeal to the grand jury directly, and agree that the grand jury can decide, without interference from anyone, who it can subpoena and investigate, and what it can say in its recommendations. Or would it be more effective to simply make citizen arrests of those who are violating established law and constitution?
